The Flip Side of COVID – Ben Hayford

*A Call For Attention*

The general pandemic has really come to change our style of living. People are becoming more conscious of their health. Governments and world organisational bodies are paying more attention to health and it related issues. The World Health Organisation is under immense pressure by its members to ensure that the right thing is being done. Under the sustainable development goals under goal number three talks about good health and wellbeing. Millions of dollars are released by these world bodies for medical research and medical infrastructural development so as to improve livelihood. Covid19 pandemic has come to reveal the various health loopholes our mother earth is facing. This deadly virus has really come to expose countries with poor health sectors hence the need to take critical look at it. Even though Africa is the less hit continent with regards to this pandemic but it is the most poorly prepared continent with regards to Covid 19. According to quartz.com, Africa has about one doctor to every 5000 people. Zeroing down to the Sub Saharan Africa, there is a total deficit of 1.8 million health workers according to WHO report 2013. This is even expected to hit 4.3 million by 2035.

This pandemic season is a wakeup call for African leaders to join forces for the development of their health sector. I was highly elated when I found out some countries like Ghana, Rwanda, Madagascar and the likes has moved a step further in the fight against Covid 19 by setting up companies to produce locally manufactured PPEs, ventilators and test kits. There is this overall general concern on personal hygiene in Africa since this pandemic lifted its ugly head, lol. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of inventions, this pandemic has led to the some technological discoveries in Africa for that matter Ghana. People are coming out with creative and innovative ideas of manufacturing wash hand machines and other equipment which are aiding in the fight of Covid 19. These inventions has made it easy for people to wash their hands frequently to minimise the spread.  In my view, I will say Covid 19 has opened a very great opportunity for Africans in the area of technological Advancement.

This pandemic has also led to a new style of living which is the use of nose mask. Everybody is now wearing face mask on a daily basis as a means of self-protection against Covid 19. A lot of entrepreneurs in Ghana in the fashion field has taken this up to the next level by producing fashionable nose mask at a cheaper price for people to buy.  It has also created a lot of jobs for people in this abnormal times in Ghana.

This use of hand sanitizers has also become the order of the day. African governments are investing hugely in local industries in the production of hand sanitizers in large quantities for the general public. People are becoming more health conscious. Even though Covid 19 has brought devastating effect to mother earth however it has reoriented our mode of thinking and set us on the path of development particularly, our health sector on most part of the world especially Africa. This is what Move the World through the Get Global Programme is striving to achieve, changing mindset, development through innovation and creativity and imbibing the can do spirit.

This is an opportune time for Africans to rise to the attainment of goal number 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is attainable only if we put our mind to it.

#GetGlobal #MTW #Development #Covid19 #AfricanOnTheRise

#SDGs3 #Industrialisation #Creatingjobs

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